


1-2 Crush on You

by xathanael20



Category: Cyberpunk 2077 (Video Game)
Genre: Crushes, F/M, Fluff, Getting to Know Each Other, Humor, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Romance, Slow Burn, Swearing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-12 02:08:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29252736
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xathanael20/pseuds/xathanael20
Summary: For a woman with so little time left, you’re definitely takin’ your sweet ass time. And trying to find love in this shit of a city? With a fuckin’ badge no less?Fine, do what you want. At least I’ll get the best seat in the house if this goes to shit.  After a first meeting like this I can’t see how this gets any better.————————————————————Updates weekly!
Relationships: Female V/River Ward, V/River Ward
Comments: 64
Kudos: 57





	1. Should I Stay or Should I Go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 1: A gig for Regina ends up being a chance first encounter between V and a certain stubborn badge.

V was finishing her Chinese takeout as she waited for the sun to set. She had been observing the building just off Shipyard Way for a few hours. Memorising enemy patrols and identifying prime infiltration points. She was debating between breaking through the fence behind the compound to enter or storming the front entrance. She re-read the text from Regina another time. She was supposed to steal a raw BD from an XBD tuner duo. It apparently could help some preacher find his son’s killer.

V was known within the merc circle for her non-lethal approach. It wasn’t like she couldn’t handle herself. She was fairly proficient in hand-to-hand combat and weapon handling thanks to regular training sessions with Coach Fred and range time at Wilson’s. V simply preferred to rely on her hacking abilities. Watching her targets fall one by one as she advanced through enemy territory? Happiness!

When Regina heard about the crazy merc that did not kill, she immediately hired V for her experimental cyberpsycho project. At first V was somewhat skeptical, but Regina was willing to pay for each cyberpsycho neutralized, and V wasn’t about to turn her nose up at good eddies. Regina often asked the mercs working for her to use a non-violent approach, and since V was known to do just that, she was on top of Regina’s contact list whenever a gig was available.

V was free to use any method necessary for this gig. A side hustle from Regina while she zeroed in on next cyberpsycho sighting. V naturally planned on using her usual non-lethal approach. A decision that put Johnny in a bad mood. A mood he liked to share with V at every opportunity.

Johnny lazily pointed at the front entrance. _“You know that would be the easiest way in, yes?”_ He refocused on V with his trademark smirk. _“I don’t get it. All these top-of-the-line implants, all those guns gifted to you from your chooms and you still refuse to actually use them. Why do you insist on going non-lethal anyway?”_

 _“Johnny, maybe I just like watching them fall asleep without lifting a finger, like one of those witches from the old TV shows,”_ V joked with a dismissive flick of her finger.

Johnny nonplussed leaned against the nearest wall and placed another cigarette in his mouth. Through clenched teeth he sneered, _“Bullshit. If you wanna be one of those, you’d be playing at kids’ birthday parties, not doing actual merc work!”_

V felt hot behind her ears. _“Well, maybe I just don’t like killing. I don’t have to explain myself to you. ‘Sides, some fixers like the way I do things, so why should I change?”_ Feeling she had made her point V turned her back to Johnny and busied herself re-reading Regina’s text a fourth time. She did not feel like justifying her approach to work to a terrorist rockerboy ghost who thought nukes solve everything.

Dusk gave way to night. Time to get to work. It was very tempting to hack a camera, upload a contagion, and watch them fall into slumber. Risky since the guards were a little too far apart from each other for her contagion jump to work effectively. V instead opted for a stealthy infiltration. She would knockout guards as she encountered them.

V quietly dispatched two guards near the entrance quietly hiding their bodies inside the nearest container. She did not want to attract the attention of the other Maelstromers. V quickly scanned the nearest camera, identifying the location of the compound surveillance system control center. It was inside a nearby shed. She quietly made her way there, taking care not to wake the half-sleeping guards nearby.

 _Hmph, more implants than brains._ V deftly hacked into the surveillance system. She scanned for the quickest route to where the BD would be stored and taking a little time to ping the location of the remaining Maelstromers. Finally, V deactivated the surveillance system before making her way to the BD studio.

V saw two guards chatting with each other. Scanning the surrounding area, she noticed a nearby generator emitting a low pitch hum. Perfect for distraction. With ease, she hacked the idling generator. As if possessed the generator screamed to life shattering the surrounding stillness. Shaken from his stupor, the closest guard stumbled over to investigate. Seizing on the opportunity, V deftly shifted through adjacent shadows. She intercepted the remaining guard, locking on a deep sleeper hold, quietly knocking him out. Then with the same agility, she repeated the process for his choom. As always, she hid their unconscious bodies before making her way to a nearby window.

A quick scan of the room showed another guard and a turret. Careful as to not be noticed, she snuck through the window. She quietly incapacitated the guard with another tight chokehold. Releasing the guard from her grip, she scanned the nearby turret. Taking cover behind a nearby counter, V established a safe line of sight with the turret before remotely deactivating it. She made her way up the stairs; she was not far from her target now.

Once up the stairs V ran another scan. Another guard and turret. She remote-deactivated the turret first before using system reset on the remaining guard. All that was left was the BD. Discretely, she entered the studio spying two men on netrunner chairs. They appeared to be busy editing a BD completely oblivious to her presence.

V considered pulling the men out of their BD but decided against it. She was only there for one BD in particular, BD_9430. She snuck past the men and scanned the shelf behind them identifying her target. Hurriedly, V stuffed the incriminating shard into her pocket and made her way to the door. She paused turning to inspect the two distracted men confirming they were still deep inside their work.

_Click!_

“Hands where I can see them, and turn around slowly,” spoke a firm commanding voice.

V froze. She was not expecting any of the guards to regain consciousness so soon. Her mind started to race, thinking of plan to get out of this situation. Any bad move would get her head blown clean off, and she was not ready to have things end this way.

“This is your last warning. Hands in the air and turn around,” the voice spoke again.

“Easy there, choom,” V replied, standing rigidly still. She spied a camera in the corner to her left. She discretely hacked into it, using it to get a full view of the person behind her. He was a tall, well-built man, wearing a long jacket. He did not look like a typical Maelstromer considering the minimal amount of chrome he had on him. V ran a quick identity scan on him. Her scan read: River Ward, NCPD.

 _I thought NCPD dropped this investigation_. She considered asking him why he was here before she stopped herself. She did not need him to know what she was currently doing.

“Is grass green, do birds fly, do cats eat bats, do rats eat gnats?” She repeated what she saw in Johnny’s memories, hopefully distracting him long enough for her to reboot his optics.

“What the fuck are you tal—”

V could hear the electrical sound followed by a grunt. She quickly turned, sliding the back of her left forearm along his extended right arm. She stepped closer to the man and bracing his arm right above his elbow. She placed her right arm below his right elbow and tightly clasped both her hands together. Squeezing with all her strength V tightened her arms together and pulled them close to her chest while simultaneously pivoting on her left foot and turning her entire body to the right. The man suddenly jerked towards the ground face first. As he fell, V raised her right knee. This time V smirked. The man was asleep before he hits the ground. V wanted to stop and admire her work. The only time she successfully used that particular move was in a combat simulation. And the fact that she pulled it off against a person significantly larger than her, she could not help but feel a little proud of herself.

 _“Fucking hell, woman. You need to delta the fuck out of here! Fucking celebrate later!”_ Johnny growled.

 _“Oh, right, right.”_ V snapped back to reality.

V hurried back to the entrance and continued to run a good distance from the compound. She texted Regina that she successfully extracted the BD shard. Regina replied back with the coordinates of the drop point. It was not too far, and V decided to walk there. As V approached the drop point, her thoughts began to return to the cop she encountered.

Johnny, having no interest in the cop scanned the area for something to change the subject. He spotted the display plastered next to the drop point. It read ‘VOTE PERALEZ FOR NIGHT CITY MAYOR’ next to an image of a man in a nice suit holding a gun.

 _“He’ll fight for you. Pah! All politicians are the same. They always say they’ll fight for the small people when they have their pockets lined with corpo-rats money,”_ he commented, disgust showing on his face.

 _“Never cared for them.”_ V instinctively responded. In corpo eyes, they were just a bunch of puppets. Disposable once no longer useful. _“Sometimes had to get rid of a few of them in my last job.”_

V’s thought drifted to memories of her past life working with Arasaka. It was not unusual for V to utilize mercs hired for ‘corporate liquidation’ during her time with Arasaka. Back then she sat on the other side of the table. Planning off-the-books ops instead of doing them. It was not the cleanest life, but it afforded her with reasonable comfort and luxury. She sometimes missed it, but her current life gave her the freedom her corpo life would never provide.

V absent-mindedly dropped the shard into the slot.

V’s phone suddenly sprung to life snapping her back to the cold early morning street. Regina calling for a mission debrief. Still curious, V asked her about the cop she met in the BD studio.

 _“I’m pretty sure NCPD dropped the case, they shouldn’t be anywhere near there,”_ Regina replied.

“I guess this one didn’t get the memo. Did a quick scan, name’s River Ward.” V could hear the tapping sound from a computer keyboard from the other end of the line.

Regina was back on the line after a few minutes of silence. _“Hmm, according to my source, this one is known for sticking his nose where it doesn’t belong. He didn’t give you much trouble, did he?”_ She sounded concerned. V remembered her comment about how it’s not a bad thing to have good relationship with badges from a previous conversation.

“Well, he threatened to blow my head off, so I knocked him out. I delta’d out of there pretty fast, so hopefully the rest of the Maelstromers don’t find him first before he wakes up.” V started feeling a bit guilty about the whole situation. “It was—uh—a self-defense situation,” V added.

 _“Oh well.”_ V could hear her chuckle from the other end. _“I’m sure he can take care of himself. Great job, and thanks again, V.”_ Regina ended the call.

Johnny appeared by the drop point, lit cigarette between his fingers. _“I think the pig got off pretty light. If I were you, I would’ve zero’d him before the second warning.”_ Johnny said while making a shooting motion with his finger. _“You’re too soft, V.”_

He then turned to face V square on, arms folded and glared at her over the top of his aviators. _“Also, of all things you could pick from my memories, Spider Murphy’s weird-ass saying was the one you went with?”_

_“It worked, didn’t it? Why are you complaining?”_

_"’Cause it was fucking annoying then, and it annoyed me the fuck more that you’re trying to copy her.”_

_“I did not! Though, I think it’s pretty neat. Maybe I should do something like that.”_

_“First of all, you’re not as eccentric as she was. Second of all, she was the best at what she does. You’re a mid-tier merc at best who sat on her high horse with that stupid no-kill policy. So, before you try to do this pathetic attempt of imitation, why don’t you learn how to actually do your job properly first, hmm?”_

_"_ _Fuck you, Johnny,”_ V responded, fists clenched.

_“Hah! And that reaction tells me that I’m right. I’m always right, V.”_

V turned away from Johnny. She did not want him to see the anger welling up inside of her. She did not want him to have the satisfaction. Most of all she wanted him out of her fucking head.

 _"You know I can hear your inner thoughts, right? Also, not my damn fault that I’m in your head,”_ Johnny snarled, flicking virtual cigarette ash at her.

 _"Well, maybe I intentionally wanted you to hear. Maybe I just want you to fuck off.”_ V replied with the same level of venom.

 _“You’re stuck with me now until we figure out how to get rid of me. And trust me, I want that as much as you do.”_ He took another puff at his cigarette. _“Anyway, it’s almost daylight. What’s for breakfast?”_

V suddenly felt the fatigue from the night’s activities set into her body. Giving into exhaustion V calmly responded _, “Don’t feel like eating out. Got some leftover noodles in the fridge, maybe I’ll have that. I need to go home anyway and get some sleep.”_

V summoned her bike. She scrolled through her messages while waiting for her ride to arrive. Most of them could wait until she got some sleep. She noticed a missed call from an unknown number. _They can call back later_ , she thought, as she heard the familiar rumble of her bike. She mounted her Kusanagi CT-3X and began on her journey home. As she rode past the compound, she noticed the detective leaning against a truck parked across the street. He was resting his head against the window cradling his jaw. V could already see swelling setting in.

“Well, he made it out alive. I don’t feel too guilty now,” V thought as she accelerated into the early morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Welcome to my first ever fanfic! CDPR shorted me on River content, so I made my own! 
> 
> I'm thinking this work is going to be fairly long with a fix-it ending (River didn't get the best ending, I swear to God), and some side stories from the POV of other characters. I am also planning on writing some post-game stuff. I have some ideas in mind and unless I put them into words, they are going to haunt me in my dreams. The story will revolve a lot around V and River and their eventual romance. With Johnny begrudgingly along for the ride, of course. So if that's not the stuff you're looking for, my friend, you are on the wrong page. 
> 
> Conversations with Johnny will be in italics. 
> 
> I'm writing a light-hearted story 'cause your girl can't handle too much angst. I'm weak, I'm sorry! Okay, maybe I'll have just a little bit of angst.
> 
> Update is going to be weekly since the process of writing and editing take quite the amount of time! Additional tags will be added as more chapters are posted, so stay tuned! 
> 
> Special thanks to my dear husband for helping me with the editing. Writing and posting this fanfic was his idea in the first place. Good writing practice, as he says. Love ya, boo! 
> 
> Phew, that's a bit too long of a note. Anyways, that's all I have for now. Enjoy!  
> -x20


	2. I Fought The Law

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You know what they said about snitches? Yeah, apparently this badge didn’t get the fuckin’ memo. And workin’ with a merc? Gonk really wants to get fired. 
> 
> Chapter 2: Our boy in blue teamed up with the merc. And got Merc 101 lessons from the least merc-like merc in NC.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello friends!
> 
> I've decided that chapters based on I Fought The Law, The Hunt, and Following The River will be written from River's POV.
> 
> Did you know that the song I Fought The Law is a very catchy song? I didn't, so I looked it up. The song pretty much set the tone for this chapter and I hope that I managed to convey said tone!
> 
> Anyways, thank you for stopping by!  
> -x20

River tried his very best to stay awake. It was a monotonous drive to the Chubby Buffalo’s, he struggled to keep his eyes open. He had been very busy the past few weeks. So busy he neglected to sleep or even take breaks. He almost drifted off when a call jolted him awake.

River rubbed the fatigue out of his organic eye as he answered the call. A woman’s voice spoke from the other line. Her name was V, she explained, and someone hired her to look into the death of Lucius Rhyne. River was tempted to end the call there. He had no interest in working with mercenaries.

_“Listen, I know you tried to warn the mayor about the attack.”_

_How did she know about that?_ As far as River knew that information was classified. The people this V worked for must have had huge influence to pull intel like that. She was interested in meeting. Intrigued, River flicked her the address to the diner. He liked to use it for off-the-book meetings. They have good coffee, for starters.

As River arrived, Han was already halfway through his meal. He ordered a large black coffee and took the seat across from his partner. He quietly waited for his coffee to materialize. He wanted to be wide awake for this meeting, and it looked like he would need all the help he could get.

Han gave River a brief sullen look before turning his attention back to his meal. Between mouthfuls, Han eventually asked, “What’s with your jaw?”

“Fell on something.”

“Mhm.” Han did not press any further.

A woman approached their booth. She cleared her throat and looked at River with sharp intensity before turning to appraise Han. River’s jaw suddenly began to throb again. “Good morning, detectives.” She turned to face River. “Are you Detective Ward?”

River made the customary introductions. “In the flesh. This is Han.” Han barely moving focus from his meal grunted in acknowledgment. She nodded at him. “Pleasure.”

River was mildly surprised. _A polite merc? That’s rare_. River turned to face this mystery woman. She was not what he expected. Everything about her seemed intentionally small, as if to evade notice. The first thing he saw was her hair, short, black, with fading red highlights. She appeared slightly shorter than the average women in Night City. Dressed in all black with no visible markings or tattoos. She kept her hands inside her jacket the entire time. Nothing about her appearance screamed mercenary. She was disconcertingly unnoticeable.

Han sensed that V was not there for a casual meeting. He had a feeling he knew what she wanted and quickly decided he wanted none of it. With a curt nod to River, Han pushed past V and left the diner.

V’s eyes followed Han for a few seconds before giving River a lazy shrug. She slid into the freshly unoccupied booth and settled in. She went straight to business, only stopping to sip the can of water she ordered. He noticed her glancing nervously at his jaw.

The diner began to fill with the usual lunch rush. River, feeling the need to maintain privacy invited her to continue their conversations in his truck. She hesitated, as if to consider all possible outcomes. “I’ll meet you there,” she said before quickly leaving the diner.

River slowly exited after her and climbed into his truck. From there he had a view of the entire parking lot. From his truck, River could see V scurrying across the lot. He watched her grab something from her motorcycle before slipping it under her jacket. Although unnoticeable to the casual observer, River’s trained eyes could make out the faint outline of a shoulder holster.

“You didn’t carry your piece with you in the diner?” River asked as V climbed into the passenger seat.

“Didn’t think I need to,” she responded.

“Bold move.”

“Got more than a steady firing arm, detective,” she boasted.

“Why carry now?” he inquired.

“Insurance.”

River gave V the run-down on the cyberpsycho attack. He also wanted to get her read on the Peralezes. He was curious why they would hire a merc on the DL.

“They needed someone to look into the BD scroll, that’s why they called me.”

“You edit BD?” He sounded more surprised than he intended.

“Yeah, but I’m not great at it. A friend of mine edits BD for a living and recommended me to the Peralezes. Gave me a crash course once for a job. Even gave me this.” She pulled out a folded wreath. “Custom made.”

“So, you’re a multitalented merc.” River wanted to know more since he was not familiar with mercenary work. “What else can you do?”

“Anything, really. As long as the eddies are good,” she casually answered. 

“Ah. Typical merc then.”

“Is that judgement I hear in your voice, detective?” She was lightly mocking him. “Y’know us mercs sometimes do a better job than your whole precinct? Sure, eddies run us, but at least we’re honest about it,” she playfully chided.

He could not help but feel that she was baiting him. Wisely, River instead opted to deflect. “That may be true. You mercs always say that. You’re all alike.” 

“I’m not exactly like them!” she blurted out. Her hand shot up to her mouth as she turned beet red. River smiled internally. Even if it was for a moment, he broke through her wall.

“Well, I don’t kill,” she timidly said after a prolonged moment of silence. “I still take gun for hire gigs, but I usually just knock them out and send their ass to my fixer.”

“A merc who does _not_ kill? I’m sorry, but I don’t believe you.”

“Well, I could shoot you now. If you wake up tomorrow, you owe me ten eddies,” she said with a mischievous grin.

“That a threat?”

She laughed a little. “You’re the one askin’, detective.”

River started to relax. They began to talk and for a moment he almost forgot they were on a job.

V mentioned interest in finding Red Queen’s Race. River told her what little he knew and mentioned that his CI could give them the info they need. He also wanted to visit Horváth’s boss to see if she could give them anything new.

***

V chose to visit Horváth’s boss first. They did not get much aside from dead ends and frustration. As V struggled to hide her annoyance, River reminded her that context was important when evaluating clues. River made up a scenario to prove his point.

“Did that really happen?” V asked. 

River hid a self-satisfied smile. “Nope.”

River was worried that he might have to do extra paperwork that day. He fully expected V to start gunning down the Tyger Claws trying to vandalize his truck. Instead, she kept her distance while he handled them.

“Walking down the street with you, downright unsafe,” she teased him.

“That’s rich comin’ from a merc,” he rolled his eyes before chuckling.

***

V gave him a weird look when they arrived at Neil’s shop. “You’re sending me into a sex store?”

“Didn’t know dildos bothered you,” he smirked.

She rolled her eyes, and confidently entered the store. A few moments later, he heard the sound of a door being ripped open followed by a high-pitched squeal. River casually sauntered around the store into the adjacent alley. Neil, still squealing, an enraged V hot on his heels, slammed straight into River.

The interrogation began immediately. River was not in a patient mood; it had been a very long day. V on the other hand seemed to compose herself almost immediately. River was impressed. V calmed Neil and even convinced him to provide the info they needed without resolving to violence. Neil cursed at his shit luck and told River that he can expect a bill for his door.

“What did you do?” River cocked an eyebrow.

“The door was in the way.”

He let out a tired sigh.

***

V suggested that they should wait until it was dark. River parked a safe distance from the entrance to a quiet warehouse. Apparently the club was supposed to be there.

V broke the silence. “So…you do a lot of stakeouts?”

“Did a few. Not really a fan of ‘em. Han would talk my ears off about his kid.” He winced. “I’d rather be out an’ about than sittin’ my ass in the car for hours. You?”

“Sometimes. Usually gives me time to plan my route inside. Hack into their surveillance system, watching their every move. Sometimes I’ll play around with them.” She grew a mischievous grin.

“Meaning?”

“Oh, you know, I’d hack into their radio. If I see they’re really into a song, I’d wait until the beat was about to drop before changing the channel,” she said with a cackle. 

River was not sure whether to believe her. The things she had been telling him were not what he expected a merc to do. _Is she really a merc?_ He gave her a look of disbelief.

“What’s that look for? I gotta do something to pass the time.” She shrugged. “Although there was this one time they nearly caught me.”

“What happened?”

V sank into her seat. “I got spotted in Maelstrom territory while trying to klep a shard.”

“And…how did you get out of it?” River inquired, barely hiding his concern.

“Idiots decided to group up to look for me. Uploaded a nasty contagion into their network and watched them go to sleep. Took what I needed and walked through the front door.”

River’s eyebrows raised. “So technically you could just hack into the cameras in that warehouse right now, put them all to sleep and just walk in instead of waiting for it to get dark?”

V shrugged. “Technically, but there’re issues though. The closest cam is over there.” She pointed at the security booth. “But it’s a little outside of my scanner range so I have to get closer.” She directed his attention to the space between the truck and the booth. “And there’s nothing I can hide behind while I hop on their cams.” She turned his attention back to her. “I’m going to be vulnerable while hacking. If they find me while I’m still in their network, I’m a sitting duck.”

River tried his best to keep up with her explanation. He did not have a lot of experience with this type of stuff.

She continued on. “The warehouse is kinda big, so it’s safe to assume that the guards will be scattered all over the place. Contagion works best when they’re grouped up.”

He listened intently.

“‘Sides, can’t abuse it too much, I only have so much RAM to go around.” She tapped on her cyberdeck. “If there’s too many of them, I’ll get overwhelmed.”

River felt like he was the one being overwhelmed.

“Fair enough.” He paused for a moment. “So, uh, not sure how to approach this, but what else do you have other than that fancy cyberdeck?”

She chuckled. “Damn detective, we’ve only met this morning.”

River wanted to know more about this woman. “Just curious. When you walked in this morning, you were—how to put this—a little plain.”

“Hey, that’s just rude.”

“It’s not that! I just—” He could only sigh.

V’s chuckle grew to laughter. “Don’t worry about it. I intentionally try to look—what’s that word again—plain. Don’t need others to notice me. Makes it easier for me to do my job.”

River was now the one blushing. “Fair enough. So, you gonna share what implants you got packin’?”

“Fine, ‘cause you asked nicely. As you might’ve noticed I’ve these Kiroshi.” She pointed at her eyes.

"And these gorilla arms.” She flexed her fingers before making a fist. “These pack some mean-ass punches.”

She flexed her toned right arm. "Muscle implants to make up for my lack of strength.”

V patted her thighs. “Reinforced tendon for jumping over fences or reaching for the items on the top of the kitchen cabinet or overcoming other…shortcomings.”

“Huh, didn’t even notice,” he replied, stifling a laugh.

“Okay, first of all, screw you.” She smacked his arm. “How’s the fuckin’ weather up there?”

V slumped back into her seat. “Anyway, my ripperdoc said that I could get some work done if my lack of height bothered me too much. It was purely cosmetic, so I never bothered. I’ve better things to spend my eddies on.” She shrugged. “Anyway, your turn. Fair is fair.”

“Well, only the eye and the hand.” River casually pointed at his eye with his mechanical hand. 

V sceptically looked him over. “That it?”

“Yep. Don’t exactly have the eddies to spend on implants. They don’t pay me enough at NCPD.”

V’s expression changed. An angry scowl crawled across her face. “And that’s why most of you are corrupt.”

River sighed. “Unfortunately,”

V, still scowling directed her focus into the distance. “Money is the root of all evil, they say.”

River began to feal uneasy. “Going all philosophical on me now, V?”

V’s focus snapped back to River, ears glowing, her angry scowl had changed to embarrassment. “Nah, just quoting some dead guy.”

River began to laugh. He usually dreaded stakeouts. The conversation with V made it bearable and he was enjoying her company. He always struggled to relax around strangers, but for some reason he felt like he could lower his guard a little around her.

 _Too bad we probably not going to see each other after we’re done here._ As much as he wanted to get Rhyne’s case reopened, part of him wished that the night could last longer.

He glanced outside. “Think it’s dark enough now?”

“Yeah. Let’s do this. You ready?” she said, raring to go.

“Uh, about that…”

“Really, detective? You gonna tell me you can’t go in?” she groaned.

“Without a warrant I can’t.”

“Then, the other night you—” She stopped herself.

He started getting suspicious. “What about the other night?”

“Oh nothing!” She nervously laughed. “Anyway, gotta go! Keep you posted, bye!” She burst out of his truck.

 _Yep, she’s definitely hiding something,_ he thought.

He established a connection with her comms as he watched her walked towards the security booth. He could hear her talking to the guard posted in the booth before she was told to scram.

 _“Hey, watch this,”_ she whispered. He watched her snap her fingers. The guard posted in the booth suddenly fell to the ground.

“Show off.”

He heard her laughter through the comms. _“I aim to please, detective.”_

He could hear faint grunts as she took down guards in the warehouse. He was impressed with her skills and at the same time thought it was a little comical that a tiny woman was taking down enemies much larger than her. It felt familiar. He instinctively rubbed his bruised jaw. A sudden realization hit him. He recalled her slip of tongue earlier. Her glancing nervously at his jaw at the diner.

River recalled the little incident he had when he snuck into the BD studio few nights ago. He had been observing the area for hours before he saw a shadow moving into the compound dispatching the Maelstromer guards. Technically, he could not get in without a warrant but seeing as the guards knocked out and cameras were shut off, nobody would know that he was there. He remembered following the shadow and drawing on it. He remembered a feminine voice saying something non-sensical before the world went black.

He remembered waking up alone. He was lucky that none of the Maelstromers found him. Even luckier that he did not get into any trouble with his higher-ups. 

River rubbed his arm. He was so focussed on his throbbing jaw; he didn’t even notice his arm was also sore. He made a mental note to discuss some of V’s nightly activities with her at a later opportunity.

V’s voice crackled over the comms. _“Can’t find anything that resembles a club in this warehouse.”_

“Maybe there’s a secret entrance somewhere. I doubt an exclusive club like that would be easily accessible.”

_“Copy that.”_

River waited a few moments before hearing V unlock a metal door.

_“Found an elevator. Smart.”_

River sat up straight and tried to contain his excitement. “Good work. Once you’re inside, look for an office. We need footage from the night of Rhyne’s death. And if you’re able, try to keep one of them awake. We need them to spill out the name of their client.”

_“Wow, making me do all the heavy lifting now, detective?”_

“Are those muscle implants just for show?”

_“Touché. Now hush, got Animals to put to sleep.”_

River could hear V dispatched more guards. At some point he heard V demanding the name of the client who hired the Animals. A gurgle echoed through the comms after the name was spilled.

 _Of course it was Holt!_ River had suspicions but could not do anything due to lack of proof. He waited for V to send him the emails and security footage from the club’s office.

 _No way, no fucking way! Han?_ River could not believe his eyes. He should have realized it sooner. He should have known that Han was involved. He was so adamant that River should drop this case all together.

V heard him over the comms. _“I’ll leave you alone for a bit. I’ll go check the room where Rhyne died, find more clues.”_

River watched the footage over and over again as he texted Han to arrange a meeting. V screamed followed by her feed cutting off.

River rushed to help her. At this rate he did not care if he was caught being in the club without a warrant. He needed to save her. “Fuck, V, hang in there!”

River barged into the room, ripping the BD wreath from her head. He cradled her head in his arms and watched in horror as she gurgled and twitched before going limp.

He gently laid her on the floor, grabbing a pillow nearby and placing it under her feet slightly elevating her legs. He covered her with his coat to keep her warm. He then checked her pulse and made sure that she was still breathing.

V coughed and slowly opened her eyes.

“V, you okay?” He sounded genuinely concerned. 

She chuckled softly. How this woman could laugh after nearly dying was beyond him. She coughed again. “I’ve had worse,” she replied with a weak smile. “Question is, what are _you_ doing here?”

“Saving a gonk from dying, apparently.” He smirked. “Can you get up?”

“Gimme a few minutes. This coat is comfortable,” she replied, slight playfulness in her voice.

“Oh, really?” He watched her snuggle into his coat. “You know that floor is gross, right? Also, somebody died on it.”

“Been on worse. This is clean compared to what I’ve found myself on a couple of weeks ago.”

“Had too much fun?”

“If you can call it that.” She buried half her face under his coat.

While he really enjoyed the view, he still had a job to finish.

“Okay, while you get comfortable on the floor, talk to me. What was that?”

V spoke through the fringes of his coat. “Rhyne didn’t die in his sleep. Whatever tried to end me was the thing that killed him. You might wanna take that with you. Just…don’t wear it.” She reached for the wreath and gave it to him.

River took the wreath. “You’re a little too cheerful for someone who almost died. Something tells me this happened a lot before.” He raised an eyebrow.

“You guessed correct and that’s all I’m going to tell you, detective.” She slowly sat up.

River grabbed his coat from her and put it back on. He helped V to her feet and they made their way out. Once V was safely tucked in the passenger seat and they were on their way, his anger returned. He slammed on the steering wheel, fuming as he drove down the dimly lit road. V was silent the entire ride back, occasionally rubbing her temple.

He composed himself a little. “Do you need to go to a ripperdoc?”

“Nah, I’ll just need some painkillers and some sleep.”

“You sure?”

She leaned her head against the window. “Yep. Don’t worry about me. Focus on driving us back before you break your steering wheel.”

***

Han was waiting for them in the parking lot of Chubby Buffalo’s. River paused for a few seconds before exiting his truck, V following him soon after. He confronted Han, threatening to bring the case up to Internal Affairs. Han dismissed him and taunted V. She remained silent until one remark touched a nerve. River held her back as Han retreated.

After Han left, River leaned over the barrier overlooking the city. V joined him to discuss his next moves.

V, as if not fatigued by the night’s activities, gave River that same angry scowl from before, and began to ramble.

“I know it’s going to be a risky move, and you could lose your job or whatever. But if there’s anybody that could do it, I think it would be you. You’re fighting for what’s right, fighting for justice while everybody else around you either got their lips between some corpo’s ass or too busy lining their pockets and blind to all the terrible things about this city.

“And that makes you a good cop, a good person and that is a fucking rarity. You wanna hear what I would do? I won’t stop fighting. If one person shuts the door on my face, I’ll kick it down. Hell, I’ll tear down all the obstacles they hurl at me, just for them to fucking listen.”

She took a deep breath before continuing. “But what do I know, I’m just a dirty little merc who only cared about the eddies. It’s not me who has something to lose in this.”

River felt a little embarrassed. “I’m sorry about that.”

V shrugged, and shyly smiled. “Meh, don’t worry about it. Hope I changed your opinions on mercs, at least a little bit.”

“Well, it would be difficult to completely change what I thought about mercs. But my opinions about you did change.” Grin appeared on his face.

She blushed a little. “Well, that’s better than nothing. I owe you big time for saving my life.”

“Don’t worry about it. Part of my job anyway. ‘Sides, I’m sure you’d do the same if the roles were reversed.”

“You’re awfully confident in that statement,” she remarked. “Anyway, what are you going to do now?”

He sighed. “Think I’m just going to stay here and, you know, think for a bit.”

“Alright then. I think it’s time for me to talk to the Peralezes. Thanks again for the help, detective.”

“River is fine.”

“Okay, River. You have my contact info, yes? Ring me if you need help. And, uh, good luck.” V mounted her bike. It roared to life before zooming across the parking lot. She gave him a lazy salute before accelerating down the road. He watched as she disappeared from view.

River thought about her long rambling speech. He felt good in knowing that somebody believed in the justice he fought for. Even if that somebody was a merc. He went back to his truck and started driving to the precinct. _Time to write that report,_ he thought.

***

A day later he received a text from V.

_Went to see the Peralezes. Jefferson wished you luck._

He smiled before going back to his work.


	3. Welcome My Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I wasn’t serious when I said you should text the fuckin’ badge. And you’re hangin’ out with him now, V? Fuckin’ great.
> 
> Chapter 3: River catches another glimpse of V’s merc work. And beer time!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was the long weekend, so I had extra time to finish 2 chapters! 
> 
> The chapter title is from OKAMOTO’S Welcome My Friend. I discovered the song from an anime called The Millionaire Detective Balance: Unlimited. 
> 
> Thank you for the kudos and comments! I really appreciate them! <3 <3 <3  
> -x20

V woke up with a pounding headache. She sat up on the edge of the bed and massaged her brow. She glanced up to see Johnny smoking by her window.

 _“Meeting your output really did a number on me,”_ she grumbled as she continued to massage her sore temples.

She crawled out of bed and took a hot shower. She lingered under the hot water as the heat relieved her still aching body. Her little venture to Pacifica the day before harboured fruit. They had somehow gained Alt’s assistance. Now, V just had to figure out how to access Mikoshi, wherever that was. On top of that, she was still waiting for Takemura to call her back.

V could hear Johnny growl with concern in the back of her head. _“You can afford to take the day off, so just rest. You’ll need all your energy for whatever that ‘Saka dog has planned.”_

V felt rejuvenated after the hot shower. She opted to wear a baggy t-shirt and a pair of shorts for that day. She walked to her kitchen and started planning breakfast. Maybe fried noodles, her mother’s recipe. She quickly whipped up breakfast and a mug of tea. Food in hand, V sat down at the small dining table in the corner of her kitchen.

She scrolled through her phone as she ate. She had missed several calls and a few texts. Two of them were from River.

_Brought the case up to IA. Will keep you updated._

She smiled a little. _Nice of him to let me know,_ she thought. She opened his second text, sent not too long after the first one.

_Hey, let me know the next time you’re free. Wanna go grab a beer or coffee or something? I never thanked you properly for your help with the case. If you’re up for it, of course._

She carefully sipped her tea while thinking of a response. She thought of her first meeting with River a little over a week ago. At first, she was worried that he might recognize her and arrest her on the spot. Working with him was not what she expected. He was a little nosy—especially about her implants—but she did not mind it. She wanted to know more about him too but got carried away talking about herself. She instinctively facepalmed, nearly spilling her tea.

Johnny appeared, sitting across from her. _“You like the guy.”_

She could not deny that, even if she wanted to. There was no point lying to Johnny, they shared the same brain after all. She could only give him a weak nod.

_“He saves you one time and now you’re head over heels for him?”_

_“Nothing’s wrong with a little crush. Plus he’s cute.”_

_“Pah! And that whole thing with you and his coat? Disgusting!”_

_“Shut up, Johnny.”_ She blushed. _“It was fuzzy and warm.”_

Johnny scowled. _“Un-fucking-believable.”_

She absent-mindedly twirled the last piece of her noodles with her chopsticks. She thought about how warm his coat was. How it smelt of musk and stale coffee. She recalled the way he looked at her when she snuggled deeper inside his coat. She could feel her cheeks getting warm again.

_“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but he likes you too.”_

_“And how would you know?”_

_“Oh, come on.”_ He laughed mockingly. _“Did you see the way he looked at you?”_

She was unsure whether to believe him. Knowing Johnny, he probably just wanted to fuck with her again.

_“Also, he texted you, no? Tell him you’re free today.”_

_“And here I thought you don’t like him.”_

_“I don’t,”_ he grumbled. _“But I hate this giddiness of yours more.”_

 _“Okay,”_ she said meekly, typing out a reply before showing it to Johnny. _“How’s this?”_

_Hey, I’m free all day today. You still up for that coffee/beer?_

_“Could be worse. Now send.”_

V tapped send and waited for his response with bated breath. He replied a minute later.

_I’m off work in an hour. Got somewhere in mind?_

She raked her brain for ideas. She was tempted to suggest her place before Johnny stopped her. " _Christ, woman. Not here! Somewhere public!”_ He let out an exasperated sigh.

 _“Okay, okay!”_ V tried to think of another place. She did not feel like drinking that early in the morning, so she thought of a good place for coffee. She remembered a café she visited a few times with Misty in Wellsprings. Decent enough to make a good first impression, and she thought the coffee was good. She flicked him the café’s coordinate. A reply came in soon after.

_Nova. See you in an hour._

V was feeling nervous. She quickly finished her breakfast and started rummaging through her closet for something decent to wear. She opted for her usual: a loose grey t-shirt, black jeans, black jacket, and a pair of boots.

Johnny appeared next to her as she looked in the mirror. _“God, no wonder you never get laid. So. Fucking. Boring,_ ” he sneered. _“Look at your closet! It’s all black and grey. But hey, at least you’ll have something to wear at your funeral.”_

V glared at him before rolling her eyes. She applied some simple makeup and quickly brushed her hair. She tucked the Overture on her side under her jacket and proceeded to the garage. Her bike roared to life and she made her way to the café.

***

River was sitting in his truck across the street from the café as she arrived. She parked behind his truck and approached him. She gave his window a light knock.

“Hey, V,” he greeted as he exited his truck.

“Hey,” she replied. “Ready to go?”

“Whenever you are.” They crossed the street to the café. It was an outdoor café with nice view of the ocean, located in the nicer side of Heywood. It had the appearance of class without being overly pricy. The café was crowded, which was not unusual given the hour. But, looking at the way the crowd had formed, it looked like there was some kind of event happening at the location.

V sighed when she saw the sandwich board propped up by the entrance. The café was closed that day for a wedding reception. V cursed to herself. _Should’ve checked their website before coming._ She could almost hear Johnny laughing at her. She turned to River to suggest they go somewhere else. She was interrupted by a scream came piercing through the crowd.

They simultaneously turned to look in the direction of the scream. As the crowd began to disperse both River and V moved towards the source of the commotion. V was immediately separated from River amidst the panicked crowd. As she weaved towards the edge of the café, she could see Johnny sitting on the barrier overlooking the ocean. He was peering over to the deck below. As she joined him, he pointed at a heavily chromed woman standing over two dead bodies, a smoking gun in her hand.

 _“Finger on the trig, V,”_ he said with a serious tone.

It was a cyberpsycho attack. She quickly thought of a game plan as she sent a text to River.

_Cyberpsycho at the café. Make sure nobody comes near._

She did not wait for his reply. She cocked her Overture and scanned the cyberpsycho. Her scan caught the cyberpsycho’s name: Dao Hyunh. She began uploading a mass vulnerability daemon. She could not afford a long-winded fight, especially when the crowd had not fully dispersed. She could hear River shouting directions in the background.

Dao noticed her and leapt up to the upper deck, ready to kill. V took cover behind a nearby planter and started shooting. Dao did not seem to slow down even after V emptied her clip into her. V quickly moved to another safe spot every time Dao got too close. Dao fired at V as she slid between cover.

 _Fuck!_ A bullet grazed her arm. Her subdermal armor provided some protection, but it definitely did not cancel the pain. She tried not to think about it as she peeked out from behind cover. She saw Dao started making her way towards River, still busy controlling the crowd. She had him in her sights.

“I’m the one you want, bitch!” V roared as she emptied another clip. She reached into her jacket for more ammo only to find she had exhausted her supply. _Fuck._

Dao turned her attention back to V. Her sluggish movement showed V’s attack was taking its toll, but it was still not enough to take her down. V loaded a cybernetic malfunction quickhack, hoping that it would slow Dao down enough for V to close their distance.

Dao back arched in agony as her cybernetics began to smoke. V tackled Dao, pinning her to the ground. V rained blows down on the convulsing Dao until she was rendered unconscious. With the cyberpsycho no longer moving, V rolled off Dao and onto her back, struggling to catch her breath. Regina’s ID popped up in her optics.

_“V, there was a cyberpsycho sighted in Wells—”_

V breathlessly cut her off. “Yeah, the one at the café? I’m looking at her now. She’s sleeping so you might wanna send a transport here quick.”

 _“Oh? Well then, I’ll send my guys there, stat. Good work, V.”_ She ended the call.

V slowly sat up and watched River jog towards her. She was motioning him to join her when Dao suddenly twitched. River quickly drew his gun and aimed at Dao’s head.

She quickly wedged herself between them. “Whoa, whoa, whoa! The hell you doing?”

“V, she’s still alive!”

“Yeah, ‘cause I need her to be! I’ll explain later, but for now I need you to stand down, okay?”

River hesitated for a moment before holstering his weapon. V sighed in relief.

“Now what?”

“Now it’s up to them,” she pointed at a group of men running toward them. She recognized them as Regina’s people. She had met them a few times while dealing with other cyberpsychos. V watched as they secured Dao and drove her away.

V’s shoulders slumped. “Ugh, so much for a day off,” she grumbled.

River noticed her fresh gunshot wound. “You probably need that looked at. Come on, got a first-aid kit in the truck.”

“Eh, just a flesh wound. Part of the job.”

“At least let me look at it.” They walked back to his truck.

She sat in the passenger seat of his truck as he meticulously cleaned and dressed her wound. “So, still up for coffee?” he asked as he put his kit away.

She put her jacket back on. “Nah, need something stronger. That took the wind out of me. I know a place.”

“You sure it’s not gonna be closed this time?”

“Positive. This one will let me in even when they’re closed. It’s not far from here,” she replied confidently.

“Okay, lead the way. Or you can put your bike at the back. I don’t think my truck can catch up with you.”

She put her bike on the bed of his truck with his help. She climbed into the passenger’s seat and gave directions to the bar.

***

“Just park over there,” V pointed at an empty spot at the side of the road. “Looks like they’re open.”

River looked at the sign hanging above the bar entrance. “El Coyote Cojo, huh? Never been here before.”

“Yeah? Well come on, you’ll love it,” V beckoned, already ahead of him.

The bar was somewhat empty during this time of the day. V could hear chatter from the handful of patrons around the dining area. Music was playing in the background, and V could see the news playing on the TV behind the bar. Pepe was cleaning behind the bar when he saw V and River walk in.

“ _Hola_ , _chiquita_ ,” he greeted V with a big smile on his face. “Haven’t seen you in a while, how’s things?”

“Can’t complain, can’t complain,” she replied with a matching smile.

V took her usual spot at the bar and stared at the empty stool next to her, sadness filled her eyes. It was Jackie’s spot. _Best seat in the house,_ as he would say.

River was perceptive enough to know not to sit there, so he took the seat on the other side of her. Pepe gave him a long looking over. 

V looked at River and then back at Pepe. “This’s River. He’s a friend.”

“Ah.” He gave an understanding nod and turned to face V. “Anyway, what can I get you?”

“I’ll have a beer,” V ordered.

“Make it two, please,” River chimed in.

“Comin’ right up.” He uncapped two bottles of beer and slid them down the bar. “Mama Welles is in the back. I’ll let her know you’re here.” He disappeared into the kitchen.

V held her drink up. “Wasn’t planning on working, but extra eddies are always nice.”

“You handled that cyberpsycho pretty well,” he clinked his bottle with hers. “Though, you still need to tell me why you kept her alive.”

V told him about Regina’s little project, taking swigs of beer between each sentence. The cool drink provided relief to her battered body.

“So, you’re risking your life to save cyberpsychos? Why?”

V emptied her bottle, motioning to Pepe for another beer. “Well, if there’s a chance that they can be saved, why zero them? It’s not their fault they went over the edge. The one we just dealt with, they got her chromed up for a TV show. Poor girl didn’t even know she killed for real.”

River paused for a moment, as if he wanted to argue with her. Instead, he simply shrugged and turned back to his beer. As they drank in mutual silence, Mama Welles appeared behind them. V stood up to give her a hug.

“V, it’s been a while.” Mama Welles looked at River. “And who is this, _mija_?”

V introduced River to her. She needed some time to catch up. The last time they saw each other they were preparing Jackie’s _ofrenda_. River stayed silent through most of it, only chiming in when Mama Welles asked him questions.

“Stop by for dinner sometime, okay?” Mama Welles kissed V on the cheek before returning to the kitchen.

“Seems like everybody likes you here,” River mused.

“They’re family. Mama Welles took care of me when I needed help.”

“That’s very kind of her,” he said. “You sure you’re okay telling them you’re friends with a badge?”

V shrugged. “Not worried about it. Does it bother you?”

“I didn’t say that.” He chuckled. “Just making sure I don’t cramp your style, that’s all.”

V laughed. “There’re worse combinations out there, I’m sure.”

“Like?”

V thought for a while. “A ghost rockerboy and a walking dead ex-corpo.”

River snorted. “Unlikely to exist, but sure.”

“Oh, they exist alright.”

River ordered two more beers and passed one to V. “Glad you’re on my side, hate to have to deal with you.”

“Don’t worry, promise not to hurt you too much,” she joked, taking another long pull of her drink.

“Like that night in Northside?”

V briefly winced almost spitting her drink out. “Don’t know what you’re talking about.”

River smirked; her reaction confirmed his suspicion. “Thought it was you. Had a feeling when I first met you.”

“You gonna arrest me now, detective?” she taunted him playfully.

“I’ll think about it,” he said with a smirk. “Impressive move, by the way.”

“Thanks.” She pointed at River’s mechanical hand. “Anyway, been wondering for a while now, how did you lose that?”

“Was chasing a suspect a while back. Didn’t know he had mantis blades until I saw my hand fly off.”

“Yeesh.”

They finished their drinks. River insisted on picking up the tab, saying that he wanted to thank her properly for helping with Rhyne’s case. They walked back to his truck.

“I enjoyed that. Should do it again,” he said as he helped move her bike off his truck bed.

“Which one?” V grinned. “The drinking or fighting cyberpsychos?”

“Okay, now you’re just being a smartass.”

V laughed. “I had fun too.”

“Take care now,” he said before getting into his truck.

“Later.” She watched him drive away.

Johnny appeared next to her. “ _Great, now you’re friends with a fuckin’ badge.”_

 _“It’s a good start, don’t you think?”_ she said, smiling a little.

 _“Hmph, it’s something,”_ he scoffed. _“Wasn’t expectin' it to go that well.”_

V chuckled at his grouchy response. _“Well, I’m glad it did. Thanks, Johnny.”_

_“Yeah, whatever.”_

She straddled her bike. _“Come on, let’s go home.”_


	4. The Hunt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fuckin’ badge needs help? He’s either desperate or fuckin’ useless. Not that any of them were good anyway. Got nothin’ better to do so you might as well see what shithole he got himself into this time.
> 
> Chapter 4: On the hunt to save Randy! And our boy in blue is falling hard for the merc (but we know that already).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Friendly reminder: this chapter is in River's POV. 
> 
> Scott is an OC character.
> 
> Kudos and comments are always welcome! <3  
> -x20

It had been a week since River got suspended. He had spent most of his days lying in bed staring at the ceiling. Only getting up for meals and necessary bodily functions. He picked up his phone and scrolled through unread messages. He stopped on one Joss sent him two days ago.

_Randy hasn’t come home. He went out yesterday. Haven’t heard from him since._

River did not reply. He put his phone away and turned on the news. He paid little attention to it as it played in the background. The news anchor delivered an update on the Japantown parade attack: Hanako Arasaka has been found safe.

He was about to change the channel when the story of Peter Pan’s capture popped up. He overheard the case being talked about at the precinct. He started watching the police footage from the night of Peter Pan’s capture. He was shocked by the sight of a boy’s limp body falling out of the vehicle. Shock turned to horror when he noticed Randy’s shoes on the boy.

“No, no, no.” River muttered to himself as he quickly downloaded the news clip. He watched it several times to make sure his eyes were not playing tricks on him. He wished that they were. “Fuck!” His roar echoed off the empty walls of his room.

_Focus, River, focus._

River sat up and closed his eyes. He needed to center himself. Panicking now would not help Randy. He quickly called the remaining friends he had left at the precinct. Only one person answered his call.

“Ward?”

He tried to maintain a calm tone. “Scott, I need to know who’s in charge of Peter Pan’s case.”

_“Gonaghal. Dunno why you would care though.”_

_Fuck! Of course it was Gonaghal. That useless piece of shit_.

“It’s personal. Do you know anything about it?”

_“Ward, you know I can’t tell you that, right?”_

“Please, it’s—” River choked. He took a deep breath before continuing. “Peter Pan has my nephew.”

_“Fuck, are you sure?”_

“Yes. The boy who died was wearing his shoes.”

 _“Shit.”_ Scott was silent for a moment.

River held his breath.

_“Alright. This is what I know. We’re waiting for this lab to get us his dream BD.”_

“Dream BD?”

_“Experimental shit. We can’t interrogate him ‘cause he’s a veg, so we subcon this lab to record his dreams and turn them into BDs. Gonaghal idea. He read about it somewhere.”_

“Don’t know he’s that…innovative.” He tried not to be too offensive.

 _“I know how you feel about the guy,”_ Scott snorted. _“Anyway, like I said, we’re still waiting for it. Lab’s closed for an audit today, so we won’t hear anything about it ‘til at least tomorrow.”_

“Where’s this lab?” he replied almost too quickly.

_“Ward, you know I can’t share that with you, they’ll have my badge.”_

“Scott, don’t play that with me. After all those hard cases I had to bail you out off, you owe me. Just give me the address, please.” River tried to remain firm, but he knew at this point he was pleading with his old co-worker. 

Scott sighed. _"_ _Fine. It’s in Glen, by Pacifica Boulevard and Market Street.”_

“Thanks, Scott. I really appreciate it.”

 _“Yeah, yeah. Remember, you didn’t hear this from me. And we’re even after this, no more favours.”_ Scott ended the call.

River started forming his plan. He saw two key issues to contend with. One, he needed a way in and without his badge. Two, he needed to be able to actually view the BD and he had no idea how to work a BD wreath.

He remembered V’s parting words during their first case together. _Ring me if you need help._ He reached for his phone.

V answered after the first ring. _“Well, hello there, detective,”_ she said cheerfully.

Her voice lifted his spirits a little. “Hey V, how’ve you been?”

She giggled. _“Let’s see. I woke up on three different shitty motel room floors this week, so it’s been great."_

 _She definitely has a weird sense of humour,_ he thought.

_“Anyway, how are you, River?”_

River was hit with a pang of guilt. Hearing V’s voice made him forgot about Randy for a moment. He let out an audible sigh. “Been better.”

Her tone changed. _“Oh shit, you okay?”_

“It’s a long story.” River did not want to talk about it over the phone. “I need your help. It’s personal. Can we meet?”

_“Tell me when and where.”_

He sent her the lab address. “Flicked you the details. Can you make it?”

 _“Yep. Hang in there, River,”_ she reassured him before hanging up.

River was relieved. It did not take a lot of convincing for her to help. He then realized that he never told her about his suspension. That would need to be saved for later.

***

River read more about the dream BD procedure while he waited for V in his truck. He heard a soft knock on the driver side window. He let V in and watched her climb into the passenger seat. He tried to keep his cool, but V could tell something was bothering him. Her normal cheerful expression was replaced with a look of concern.

River waited for her to finish watching the news footage before giving V the rundown on the Peter Pan case. He struggled to talk about Randy’s disappearance and his strained relationship with his sister. He was relieved that V immediately agreed to help.

River stepped out of his truck and beckoned her to follow him to the lab. He explained to her what little he knew about the experimental procedure. He outlined the plan to her as they arrived at the lab’s entrance.

“Breaking the law?” V giggled before crossing her arms, pretending to be serious. “Who are you and where are you keeping Detective River Ward?”

River could not find the strength to even chuckle at her jokes. He could only give her a weak smile. V’s face fell a little. River started to feel guilty again. Seeing V like that felt like kicking a puppy.

They went around the building and found a back entrance to the lab. V quickly hacked the door open and sneaked in.

“Don’t worry about making noise, lab’s empty,” River told V when she gave him a confused look. “We find what we need and get out. Nobody will know we’re even here.”

He spoke too soon.

Yawen caught them rummaging through filing cabinets. She was less than happy to see him. Her ensuing tirade disclosed much of the most recent events including Rivers suspension as well as how much of a bastard he was. She kept asking V probing questions about her relationship with him.

_Shit, she’s trying to rally V to her side._

River was desperate to turn the conversation. He mentioned about the day of her medical exam in effort to get her to cave.

That was the wrong thing to say and Yawen exploded. “Are you seriously bringing that shit up?” She turned to V. “See, he’s a complete bastard.”

V kept a neutral expression the entire time, but River could see her clenching her fists inside her jacket. When V finally spoke, it was slow and deliberate. “River and I are friends. Dunno why you thought I’m going to be on your side.”

“I thought us friends too,” Yawen scoffed.

“That why you refused to help him?” V looked like she was ready to sock Yawen in the face.

River stepped in to defuse the situation. “Yawen, we need Harris’ dream,” he said calmly.

Yawen sighed in defeat. She reluctantly agreed to help, as long as they gave her something to induce Harris to dream. River quickly returned to his truck. As he was leaving, he overheard V quietly probing Yawen. Something about a biochip, but it was not important right now. At the moment, finding Randy was more important.

***

River was first to break the deafening silence. “Okay, let’s hear it.” He braced for a confrontation.

“You got suspended and didn’t tell me? Why?”

“I…I don’t know.” He let out a heavy sigh.

“You’re an idiot, you know that? What, you thought I’d think less of you ‘cause you were suspended?”

River felt his shoulders tense up. “It’s just hard to talk about what’s bitin’ my ass.”

V placed her hand on his shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Just know that you can talk to me about anything, okay?”

Her voice felt warm and comforting. For the first time in forever he felt something that resembled relief. He slumped into his seat and let out a deep sigh.

V asked him what was next. They talked about Randy, Joss, and River’s history with Yawen. He told her that Yawen’s story would take a while and promised to tell her about it next time over beer.

***

River pulled up in front of Joss’ trailer. It had been a while since his last visit. Their relationship was already rocky to begin with and being busy with work did not help. He told V to not say anything about the kidnapping before he mustered all his courage and entered the trailer.

V was surprisingly good at keeping her lips sealed. It was River who could not hold it in anymore. He told Joss everything about Randy’s kidnapping. He was about to break down when V chimed in, asking for permission to search Randy’s trailer.

As he stepped out of Joss’s trailer, River was immediately mobbed by Monique and Dorian. He knelt down to give them a hug. He had missed them incredibly. He blushed when they asked if V was his girlfriend. V giggled before introducing herself to them. River then told them to go inside for dinner. He needed them away from her before they revealed anything embarrassing.

He never went into Randy’s trailer after he moved in. River wanted to respect his privacy as much as possible. He felt guilty for not being there for Randy when he needed him the most. He was lost in his own thoughts when V called for him from Randy’s bedroom.

V found a computer under Randy’s bed. It was locked. “Ooh, this is easy,” she said, cracking her knuckles. She proceeded to crack into the computer faster than a passkey. River never doubted her skills, but they always filled him with awe every time he saw them.

They went through the email exchange between Harris and Randy. River felt sick in his stomach as he read Harris’ messages. He was relieved to find that Randy downloaded the video from Harris’ website before it was taken down. River quickly sent the video to Yawen, only for her to reply with a string of expletives. He deserved that, but he also knew Yawen would pull through when it counted.

V gathered as much info as she could from the computer before slamming it shut. River could tell that Harris’ emails disturbed her as much as they disturbed him. He gently placed his hand on her shoulder, hoping that it would calm her nerves. She looked up at him and smiled before giving his hand a gentle squeeze. His stomach tightened and he had to look away before she noticed the blushing on his face.

***

River sat in his truck while waiting for Yawen to get back to him. He watched V leave Joss’ trailer and went into Randy’s trailer. He was glad that V wanted to see this through as much as he did. His thoughts wandered to Randy; guilt started to overwhelm him again. River’s guilt was followed by worry.

_What if Harris didn’t dream? What if this amounted to nothing?_

River was gripped with a wave of terror. He imagined being too late. He imagined finding Randy’s lifeless body.

He clenched his steering wheel. He needed to calm down. He tried to think of anything else. Anything other than the overwhelming terror that gripped him.

He thought of V’s cheerful voice, her infectious laugh, the warmth of her touch. He visualized her reassuring gaze, that look that told him everything was going to be okay. There was a light at the end of the tunnel and V stood in it. Grinning warmly, she beckoned him to come to her.

He realized that what he felt was more than a simple crush. Maybe when everything had settled down, he would be able to tell her. He needed to find Randy first.

Yawen’s text jerked River back to reality. He burst from his truck and barged into Randy’s trailer. He shook V awake and pressed the shard in her hand. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she fumbled in her jacket for her wreath. She plugged the shard in and established a connection to the computer so he could also watch.

He watched as she rotated the viewing angles, bounced between layers and scanned every item of interest. He listened intently as V talked him through every scene. The most recent dream was also the most revealing. He carefully noted everything she scanned, trying to connect the dots.

V did not look well after she exited the braindance. She started violently coughing. She laid down and rubbed her temple.

She noticed the look of concern on River’s face. “Don’t worry about me, editing BD is hard on the body.”

River could tell she was lying. But it was something to discuss with her later. Randy was his main concern at that moment.

They bounced ideas off each other. Narrowing down possibilities until there was only one location that matched all the clues: Edgewood Farm. River rushed to his truck, with V close behind still fumbling with her boot laces.

River stepped on the gas as soon as V closed the passenger door. He slammed the steering wheel and cursed at himself. He blamed himself for being a terrible uncle. V was silent the entire way as he was fuming.

It did not take long for them to reach the farm. The truck smashed through the front gate before screeching to a stop. River barged out of the truck. He was so preoccupied with saving Randy, he had completely forgotten about the perimeter defenses.

“River fucking Ward! You fucking listen to me right now!” V bellowed behind him.

River stopped in his tracks. “What V? Randy is in there!” He turned around and saw V’s glowing eyes fade back to normal. “Fuck, are you trying to hack me?” he angrily accused her.

“No, you fuckin' idiot. I turned off the mines you’re about to step on.”

He looked around and saw some faint red lights on the ground. He could feel his blood draining from his face. “Oh shit.”

V was trembling. “Please come back here.” It took her a few moments to compose herself. “I’m gonna go and turn the rest of them off. Promise me you’ll wait til I’m done.”

River walked back to V and gave her a sheepish nod.

“Good boy.” V patted his shoulder. “I’ll be back.”

He watched as she approached the adjacent farmhouse, ripping the door from its hinges. He leaned against his truck and tried to settle his trembling nerves. He nearly died. His idiocy almost cost him his life. If it were not for V, Joss would have lost two family members that night.

V jogged back to him. She was holding a cattle prod. “C’mon, should be safe now.”

He gave her a nervous look. “Why do you have that?”

“So I can taze your ass if you decide to be stupid again.” She pressed on the trigger to emphasize her point.

The crackling sound made him wince.

***

The sun was just starting to rise as River busied himself, directing the Trauma Team and the NCPD to the barn. He watched them wheel Peter Pan’s victims out. Seeing the body bags woke something cruel and twisted deep inside him. A desire for vengeance.

Randy was the last one to be wheeled out. River was relieved they found him alive. He quickly sent a text to Joss, letting her know the good news.

He approached V. She was sitting on his truck bed sipping on her coffee. It seemed like she was on the phone with somebody.

“You wanna hang out?... Uh-huh… Usual place? When?... Kinda busy right now… Fine, I’ll see what I can do… Ugh, okay, okay I’ll be there… K, later Kerry.”

 _Kerry?_ River did not know about him, but he did not know much about V’s personal life. He felt a sudden pang of jealousy. 

He cleared his throat. “You’re a busy woman.”

“Apparently,” she chuckled. “Anyway, how’re you feeling?”

“Better than ever. Thank you, V. For everything.”

A grin formed across her face. “Don’t sweat it. Promised I’d help, ‘member? I’m glad we found Randy.” She held the cattle prod up. “Too bad I didn’t get to use this.” She threw it to the side.

River chuckled before shifting his gaze towards the distance. “I need to do something about Harris.”

A look of concern crawled across V’s face. “Uh-oh, I don’t like where this is going.”

“Sick fuck has to die.” He clenched his fist and turned to face V. “Squeeze the life out of him with my bare hands.”

V held River’s clenched fist in her hands. “You should forget about Harris. He’s practically dead.” She looked up, her eyes met his. “River, focus on the living. Randy, Joss, the kids, yourself. You got a second chance with your family, don’t waste it.”

River fell silent, his eyes watching her run her thumbs on his knuckles. She was right, but he did not want to leave it like that. “What if I can’t let it go?”

She replied with a soft voice, “Well, I won’t hold it against you.”

“I’ll…I’ll give it a thought. Thanks, V.” He let go of her hands and started walking towards the air transport. He turned around after remembering something. “Hey V, do me another favour?”

“’Sup?”

“Take my truck back to Joss, will ya?”

“Yeah, okay.”

River stepped into the transport and settled in his seat during liftoff. He fumbled in his coat for his phone before brushing against something familiar.

 _Fuck._ He never gave her the keys.


	5. I Guess I Should Go To Sleep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You saved the badge’s nephew, now go get some fuckin’ sleep. You’re no good to us dead.  
> What? You got other shit to do? Fuck. 
> 
> Chapter 5: V was an irresponsible adult. V spent some time with friends. And River’s lame puns.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title taken from Jack White's song of the same name. 
> 
> Thank you for stopping by!  
> -x20

V pulled up in front of Joss’ trailer in River’s truck with her bike firmly secured in the truck bed. It had been a very busy day. She nervously scanned the area for River. It looked like he was still with Joss at the hospital.

_I might get away with this._

V thought of her escape plan before killing the engine. As if summoned by the sound of his truck slipping into its slumber, River burst out of Joss’s trailer.

_Oh shit, he looks mad_. She exited the truck and braced for the inevitable confrontation.

“Oh, hey…River,” she said with a nervous laugh. “How’s it going?”

River did not say anything. He stood in front of her, silently watching. He had a stern look, strictly focused as to not give away any emotions. V felt like a child facing a parent’s disapproval. The silence was deafening.

River was first to break the silence. “So, wanna tell me what happened to my truck?”

V tried to keep a straight face. “Nothing. Nothing happened to your truck.”

“Is that so?” River started circling around her. “’Cause I never gave you my keys, and I think you smashed the window and hot-wired my truck to get it runnin’.”

Something in his voice tingled her spine. _Damn that husky voice of his!_ But she wasn’t about to let herself get distracted. Not while she was still being interrogated.

He stopped a foot away and stared down at her. Finally, she mustered the courage to look back. “Dunno what you’re talking about,” she said with a smirk. They stared at each other, both refusing to budge. V started to feel a strain in her neck. He was too damn tall for this game.

In the prolonged silence, V began to wonder how she got into this mess. She remembered saving Randy last night, but that felt like an eternity ago. And even longer ago when she last slept. V suddenly realized how exhausted she actually was.

_This was totally River’s fault_ , she convinced herself. He never gave her the keys. 

Well, it was River and Johnny’s fault. If she wasn’t already worn out from the previous night’s activities, she would have never had Johnny talk her into hot-wiring the truck.

She could still hear his sneering voice in the back of her head. _“Fuckin’ live a little! Get Claire to fix it. ‘Sides, pig-wagon needs a tune up anyway._ ”

In retrospect V realized she had almost no experience hot-wiring cars. She haphazardly smashed through the driver’s side window and clumsily tried to connect the wires together. With some tense coaching—and lots of colourful remarks—from Johnny, she somehow managed to motivate the truck onto the empty dirt road.

V’s focus shifted back to the present for a brief moment. River was still trying to tower over her. V tried to suppress a giggle. The last time River tried to out mass her, he ate her knee. Although she would feel bad if she had to do it again. She really liked the gonk.

_He should be more grateful after everything I did,_ she grumpily thought. Not only did she help him with Randy, but she arranged for Excelsior to take Joss to the hospital to be with Randy. She even got his truck fixed. What’s there to be mad about?

V recalled Claire’s reaction when she saw his battered truck.

“What the hell happened here?” she asked while incredulously inspecting the broken glass and dangling wires. “You stole this? You know I don’t work with hot rides.”

V shook her head in panic. “No, no, no! It’s my friend’s! I was supposed to take this back to his place, but he forgot to give me the keys. I had to do what I had to do,” she quickly explained, almost running out of breath from talking too fast. “Can you fix this, please? He’ll kill me if he sees this.”

Claire raised an and eyebrow and let out an amused snort. “Fine, only ‘cause you asked nicely.” She cracked a wry smile. “I might as well tune her up for ya. Come get her later.”

Claire really was a wizard when it came to this stuff. V owed her big time. By this time, V’s bike had materialized, summoned during the conversation. She remembered leaving Claire to her repairs for a few hours.

V’s mouth twitched slightly. Damn, she almost lost composure in front of River. She wasn’t going to let him win now. She could tell he was fading, no matter how much he tried to hide it from his face. V could see his statuesque frame tremble slightly. He was breathing heavily, probably from fatigue. The bags under his eyes betrayed his lack of sleep, his chiselled jaw forcefully clenched. Clearly, he pulled a few all-nighters and he probably never stopped to rest since saving Randy. _He’s barely holding it together,_ she thought to herself.

V recalled taking her bike for one more detour. She was meeting a friend over breakfast while she waited for repairs to be completed. V remembered being distracted, worried the truck wouldn’t be fixed in time.

Kerry was in his usual booth when she arrived. “You’re late,” he grumbled. “You know I don’t like waiting.”

Kerry was prodding her to hang out, and since they both had late nights, they agreed to meet up at the regular hangout spot.

“Sorry, busy morning.”

“Mhm. Gonna tell me about it?”

“Yeah. But I need some food and coffee first.”

V ordered a large burrito and an extra-large coffee. Kerry ordered his usual coffee.

As usual, V started the conversation with something light. Weather, news, work, gossip. Gradually the conversation shifted to the previous night’s events.

Kerry eventually interjected. “This River guy called for help and you came runnin’? Don’t usually hear mercs doing shit for free.” He took a long sip of coffee. “Sounds like you might be catchin’ feelings for this guy?” He raised an eyebrow.

“Psh! No.” She glanced at Kerry; he had a quizzical look on him. “Okay, maybe. I dunno…” She gripped her coffee cup close to her chest as her cheeks started to get warm.

“Oh god, are you blushing?” Kerry started to laugh.

V shot him a sharp glare. “Shut up, Kerry.”

Kerry began to bellow with laughter. V threw the now empty burrito wrapper at him before slumping her head onto the table. “I dunno Kerry. I don’t have a lot of time left.” She raised her head slightly to look at him. “I just dunno. I like him, but the whole dying thing kinda messes everything up.” V slouched back into her seat.

“And? Honestly, I’m surprised you haven’t fucked him yet.” A serious look crept into Kerry’s eyes. “Did you tell him?”

“No, but—”

He furrowed his brows. “Maybe you should talk to him first?”

“I guess...”

“Or just fuck him. Maybe that’ll work better for you.” Kerry dodged another wrapper thrown at him. “Where’d you find this guy anyway?”

“Worked a job together. I did a gig for a corpo, he needed evidence to get a case reopened.”

His eyes widened. “Wait, he’s a badge?”

V gave a sheepish nod.

“Fuck me. You know what, just fuck him and ghost.” He looked at V before letting out a snicker.

V dropped her head back onto the table and groaned in defeat.

V lifted her head and looked back at River. Back to the present, back to this staring bullshit. _How long is he gonna keep this up?_ It was a good thing V liked the view. It was probably the only thing holding her together. Her knees trembled, maybe from the fatigue. Even with breakfast and coffee, this staredown was starting to take its toll. It had been a long day and V’s focus was waning. 

V’s mind wandered back to Claire’s shop. She was barely there when Claire when gave the rundown of repairs.

Claire snapped her fingers at V, trying to get her attention. “V, honey, you still with me?”

“Huh?” V blinked a few times to stay awake. Damn, she nearly dozed off. “Uh, barely. Just dumb it down for me.”

“I make truck run good.” Claire grunted while trying to suppress a giggle. “I even made an extra key for you, so you won’t wreck her again.”

“How much do I owe you?” 

“It’s on me,” Claire responded. “You’re a friend and I don’t take money from friends.”

V was not going to let that stand. She had spent the better part of her adult life not owing anybody anything, and she wasn’t going to start there. After much badgering, Claire’s resolve proved weaker to V’s stubbornness. Claire gave V the opening she was looking for. “Fine, but only for material costs.” Claire finally conceded.

A victorious grin crawled across V’s face. She reveled in her triumph as she transferred the funds.

“You don’t hafta gloat.” Claire pouted.

V pulled her in for a hug. “Sorry, girl. But you know I can’t owe you like that. Help me with my bike?”

“Sure.” Claire helped V mount her bike to the bed of River’s truck. She held the driver’s door open and ushered V to enter. “I wanna hear which cop you stole her from the next time I see you,” she said before giving V a wink.

“How did y—” V was interrupted by Claire slamming the door shut. Before V could say anything else, Claire had already walked to the back of her shop. V smiled and shook her head before starting the truck. She sent a quick text to Claire.

_Thanks a bunch <3 Promise I’ll tell the story later ;)_

V’s attention went back to the man standing in front of her. She would always win in the game of stubbornness. After Claire, River was going to be the next one to lose to her. She knew this whole situation was petty, but she wasn’t about to let anyone get anything over her. Not even him. River shifted his gaze as if to get a better look of her. In that moment V’s heart skipped, and for that moment she considered surrender. She could drown in his eyes—well, eye—he only had the one ‘ganic eye left.

Joss’ voice cut through the tension. “Dammit, River! Leave the girl alone. It’s your damn fault for not giving her the keys!”

River rolled his eyes and let out a deep sigh. “Ugh, thanks, Joss.”

_Joss to the fuckin’ rescue!_ V rejoiced internally before cracking into a triumphant grin. “Guess I win this one, River.”

Slightly dejected yet graceful in defeat, River’s face grew a wry smile. “Damn V, I’ve never met anyone so stubborn. You’re worse than Joss.”

“Am I now?” she said with a bubble of laughter before walking to the back of the truck. “Give me a hand with my bike?”

“I guess. But I only have _one_ to spare.”

V let out an exaggerated groan. She knew it was far from over. This was her punishment for winning.

“But good thing you asked me for help, ‘cause I’m a bit of a _handy_ man around here.”

She pretended to ignore him. “Help with the bike, please?”

“Hmm, I think I can manage that single- _handedly_ ,” he said with a shit-eating grin on his face.

“River, if you don’t stop, I will hurt you.”

“I suppose you’re right. Wouldn’t want things to get out of _hand_.”

V was reconsidering her no-kill policy.

River let out an impish laugh before helping V with her bike. “So, beer next time?”

She rolled her eyes and sighed. “Sure.”

V kicked a leg over her bike. She could really feel her exhaustion. _Time to get some quality sleep_ , she thought when she felt a sudden searing pain. Her optics started to flicker. Her surroundings tilted sideways before she hit the ground.

The last thing she heard was River shouting her name before the world went black.


	6. Policy of Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You passed out in front of the badge and now he wants to know why. Ten eddies say he wants to be your knight in shining chrome.
> 
> Don’t believe me? Just you fuckin’ watch. 
> 
> Chapter 6: V and River shared some stories. Alcohol was involved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning: Mentions of suicide and death, irresponsible alcohol consumption
> 
> Chapter title is from Depeche Mode's song of the same name. 
> 
> The people in the writing server I'm in, specifically in the River channel were very helpful with the ideas for this chapter. Thanks, friends! 
> 
> Thank you for stopping by!  
> -x20

V woke, the right side of her body was throbbing with a dull pronounced pain. The pain radiated from her ankle and crawled up to her teeth. _How long was I out?_ She struggled to open one eye between waves of pain. The night sky beamed through the window above her head, illuminating the Tainted Overlord posters scattered on the wall. Everything was covered in a thin layer of dust which filled the room with a greyish haze. She was in Randy’s room. 

A familiar voice growled in the back of her head. _“You fuckin’ scared the shit outta me, you know that?”_

V carefully sat herself up and attempted to hold herself steady. She was in rough shape, but the pain was already starting to subside.

She carefully turned to face Johnny. He was lounging on Randy’s filing cabinet. Lit cigarette in his hand. _“Hey Johnny,”_ she said. _“I’m surprised you didn’t take over.”_

 _“Thought ‘bout it, but it looked like your badge had it under control_.” He dismissively flicked virtual cigarette ash into the corner of the room. Through the haze and the darkness, V could barely make out a large figure sitting there in the corner. Through squinted eyes, V could just see that the figure was a large framed person awkwardly slumped in an office chair emanating a low-pitched rumble. It was River, and he was fast asleep.

V shifted her weight and winced. Although it was getting better, she was still in a lot of pain. She noticed that her jacket and her boots were removed. Then she noticed that the stupid tattoo Johnny got her was in full view.

Johnny immediately noticed the look of distress that crawled across her face. A malicious, delighted grin crawled across his own. _“Oh yeah, he saw that. Should’ve seen his face.”_

 _“Fuck you, Johnny.”_ She venomously spat each syllable at him. _“God, I hate you so much.”_

 _"_ _Uh huh. What else is new?”_ He sneered, putting out his cigarette on the windowsill.

V anxiously looked back at River, still deep in slumber. His exhaustion finally caught up to him. V watched his broad chest slowly rise and fall in time with rhythmic rumbling. She felt a wave of guilt radiate through her. Memories from Red Queen’s Race flooded her mind. This was the second time she made him save her. 

River jerked awake with a loud snort. His sudden movement temporarily banishing the guilt gripping her heart.

“V?” River rubbed the sleep from his eye and pulled his chair closer to the bed. “How’re you feelin’?” He looked very concerned.

“Been better,” V said with a chuckle. “And really sore.”

“Yeah, you landed pretty rough back there. Your bike landed on your knee, so you’re gonna feel that for a while.”

“Already feelin’ it.” She gently rubbed her knee. “Thanks for pulling me out, by the way.”

“Don’t mention it.” River paused in thought for a moment, he was clearly contemplating everything he was going to say. “V, are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m okay. Just exhausted, that’s all. Few hours of sleep and I’ll be back in tip-top condition.” V forced herself to make a jovial grin, a last-ditch attempt to hide that she was in fact, not okay.

River crossed his arms and shot back a disapproving look. “V, I can tell when someone’s hiding the truth. What’s actually going on with you?”

V let out a prolonged frustrated sigh. She never planned on sharing her condition with River. Collapsing in front of River ruined that plan. She liked what they had and did not want her impending death to ruin that. But all her friends knew she had little time left. After everything they went through, he probably deserved to know the truth.

 _I want us to be more than friends._ V knew she was being selfish. She wasn’t ready to share the truth with him just yet. 

River gave her a stern look. “V…”

 _Oh fuck, that look._ There's no escaping this conversation. She could try lying, but her odds were not great against a seasoned detective.

V let out a defeated sigh. “Fine, but under one condition.”

River cocked an eyebrow. V now had his full attention. “Name it.”

“I need something strong. Not gonna spill my guts sober.”

“Sure that’s a good idea in your condition?”

“You wanna hear it or not? This is my final offer. ‘Sides, it’ll help with the pain too.”

River clearly looked like he wanted to argue but decided against it. His curiosity had triumphed over his rationality. He quickly left Randy’s trailer to retrieve some supplies.

V limped to the dining area and sat on a dusty chair. _Man, Randy really liked Tainted Overlord._ Randy had their posters on almost every wall in the trailer.

Johnny leaned on the door frame. _“You sure you wanna tell him?”_

_"_ _Why not? Kerry knows about it, why not him too?”_

_"I trust Kerry. I don’t trust the pig.”_

_"Well, I do. Enough to tell him that I’m dying anyway.”_

_“Godamn—”_ Johnny was interrupted by River walking through him. He gave the badge an angry glare before flipping him off and returned to V’s subconscious. 

River plonked a bottle of whiskey and two glasses on the table. “Think that oughta do it. Got more in the other trailer if this is somehow not enough.”

“We’ll see about that,” V said as she watched him pour some whiskey for her. She clinked her glass with his before downing the entire content.

“So, gonna tell me what’s up?”

“The ceiling.” V’s joke was met with a sharp glare. She giggled before continuing. “Okay, okay. I’ll be serious—I’m dying.”

“You’re what!?” His eyes widened in disbelief. “V, that’s not funny.”

“I’m not joking.” She poured herself another one, downing it in a single gulp. “A biochip with the engram of Johnny Silverhand is in my head and it’s slowly killing me.”

V gave River a rundown of the botched heist and events that led to her current predicament. She chose to omit the details regarding the patricide and her hunt for leads into saving her life.

_He didn’t need to know that I caused the big blackout._

She instead chose to focus on Jackie and his death. She never really talked about it to anyone. Not even when they were building his _ofrenda_. The wounds were too fresh. And the _ofrenda_ was meant to celebrate his life, not a pity party for her emotional scars.

Maybe it was the whiskey or the company, but it felt like it was a good time to revisit the memories of her late friend.

“I lost Jackie that night. The first person I called a friend. He was my go-to merc during my time with Arasaka.” She helped herself with another shot of whiskey. “Our interaction was purely biz at first. One night I was sitting alone at Lizzie’s after a shit day at work. Turned out he was there too with his choombas. He sat in my booth and looked at me dead in the eyes. And you know what he said to me?”

“What?”

“You don’t look good tonight. You okay, _chica_?” She tried her best impersonation of Jackie. “That’s it. Nobody ever asked me that before. Man, I cried hard that night. Poor Jackie had his jacket all messed up ‘cause I couldn’t stop weeping.”

“He sounded like a great guy,” River replied with a gentle smile.

“He was. I’ve got no friends before I met Jackie. I couldn’t trust anybody around me. The ones below me would kill to get my position, the ones above me would kill to keep me away from theirs.” Another shot down the hatch. Her speech started to slur. “Jackie saved my life, you know. Apparently being fired wasn’t enough, so they wanted to zero me too. He stood between me and the Arasaka guards and scared them off. Then he brought me back to his mom’s and they took care of me until I got back to my feet. Fuck, I really miss him.” Tears began to well up in her eyes.

She rested her chin on her hand and shifted her gaze to River. “Well, I’ve done my fair bit of sharing. How ‘bout you? You have a Jackie in your life?”

It was not the politest way to ask someone to share something personal. Whatever tact V had was stripped away by the alcohol.

“Me?” He swirled the content of his glass before gulping it. After a brief hesitation, he let out a sigh. “Jamie Sheen, my first partner when I became a detective. Great guy, probably the only person I could really get along with. Solved a lot of cases together, grabbed a beer every weekend. The cycle continued for a few years. Probably the only real friend I ever had.”

“Sounds like a preem guy. Did he move to another precinct?”

River face dropped. “No, he blew his brains out. Didn’t leave a note but didn’t take much detective work to know what happened. Guess the frustration from watching the top brass turning a blind eye for extra eddies was too much for him. I wished I knew what was biting at his ass sooner. I wished I could’ve helped him. I thought about quitting the force after that but didn’t. Then they partnered me with Han. Well, you know how that went.” He let out a dry chuckle.

That sobered up V a little. “Oh shit, River. I’m so sorry. I never should’ve asked.”

A long sigh escaped his lips. “I never really talked about it. It’s hard, you know, when there’s actually nobody to talk to. Everyone I know are cops and they’re not exactly the people to talk to about…personal stuff.”

V immediately thought of her downstairs neighbour. She shuddered at the thought of what could’ve happened if she didn’t stop by his apartment that night.

“I spent all these years hoping that maybe things would get better only to clock out with disappointment. I drown myself with work, so I don’t think about it. Ended up spendin’ more time at work than I do with my own family. Eventually Joss and I drifted apart. I lost so much time with my family.” He tightened his grip around his glass. “If I was there for Randy, he would never ha—“ He choked up and couldn’t finish his thought.

V reached across the table and squeezed River’s hand. “You can’t blame yourself for that, it’s not your fault.”

“I know, V.” He placed his metal hand over hers and squeezed back. It felt cool on the back of her hand, a contrast to its warm ‘ganic counterpart. “Please, V. I’ve failed Jamie before, and I’m not going to forgive myself if I fail you. Please, let me help you.”

V instinctively withdrew her hand. “River, I appreciate that you want to help. But I got it under control, so don’t worry about it, okay?” 

_“No, you don’t.”_ Johnny phased into existence, standing behind River.

_“Johnny, shut up.”_

Johnny was right. She did not have this under control. Most of the leads she had almost got her killed and yielded her suboptimal results. Hanako was her last chance for survival, if she ever called her back.

But there’s one thing she could control. She’s not going to let River get involved in her mission for survival.

River was not going to back down. “V, we make a great team. I’m sure we can figure this out together.”

V sighed. She was not interested in arguing with him all night. “Look River, I ain’t dying tomorrow and you’re not saving me today so we might as well enjoy the night, hmm?”

“But—”

V lifted her hand to stop him. “Not tonight, River.”

“Why not?”

“’Cause I’m four drinks in and you’re killing my buzz.”

River opened his mouth for a moment and then closed it, as if he wanted to object but thought better of it. He chose to finish his drink instead.

“No more pouting tonight. Pour me another one and let’s change the subject, okay?”

***

A gentle sun beam crept through the window curtains. It was already morning. It was much too bright. V was convinced she hurt more than the night before. Her head felt like it was squeezed between two presses. V could make out River groaning from down the hallway. She slowly rolled out of Randy’s bed. _Ugh, I’m never drinking again,_ she thought as she crept out of the bedroom.

She found River on his tiptoes, rummaging for something in the bathroom. “Ugh, we’re colonizing the moon and still no cure for hangover?” He looked the worse for wear.

V let out a weak chuckle. She could still feel the burning in her throat from the whiskey. “Well, at least we had fun. But I gotta go home. Need a shower and some _actual_ sleep.”

“Need a ride? Doubt you can ride your bike in your condition.”

“Pfft, as if you’re any better,” she playfully countered.

“Please, I’m a pro on hangover highway.”

“It’s okay, River. Got an AI who can drive me home. Mind if I leave my bike here for a day or two?”

River just nodded and went back to his search. V went back to the bedroom and put her jacket and boots on.

She stepped outside of the trailer and sat on the front steps while waiting for Excelsior to show up. “Ugh,” she grumbled to herself while cradling her head.

“I wanna hear how you got a fucking Delamain the next time we hang out,” River said, appearing behind her.

“Maybe, one secret at a time. Just maybe not over _that_ much whiskey.” Her response was met with a small chuckle from him. She watched as Excelsior pulling into the gravel driveway before standing up. “Thanks for last night. And everything. I needed that.”

“Me too. And—” River was interrupted with a pair of arms wrapped around his waist. He was still for a moment before draping his arms around her shoulders.

V rested her head against his chest, content with the sound of his heartbeat and the feel of his arms around her.

River rested his chin on her head. V could feel him exhaling slowly on top of her head. “I still want to help you.”

“River…”

“I know, you don’t want to talk about it right now. I’ll come back to it later, ‘kay?”

V slowly nodded. They hugged for a little longer before Excelsior started honking. “Ugh, that impatient little shit.” She quickly let go of River before making her way to her ride.

“Text me when you get home.”

“Will do.” V waved at him from inside the car before Excelsior closed the door.

***

_Hey, got home safe. And no accidents!_

_Glad to know that_

_Listen, my offer for help still stands_

_You’re really not letting that go, are you?_

_Nope. Rest well, V._ _Talk soon._


End file.
